Actually had success with Claimyr too when I needed to get through to Washington ESD about my own forced resignation case. The regular phone lines were impossible, but through their service I got connected immediately and was able to explain my situation directly to an agent. Really made the difference in getting my claim processed quickly.

I went through something very similar about a year ago - my manager created an impossible situation where I was set up to fail, then gave me the "resign or be terminated" ultimatum. I was terrified about filing for unemployment because I had technically resigned, but it turned out Washington ESD was really understanding about constructive discharge situations. The key is being completely honest about the circumstances and having documentation ready. In my case, I had saved emails showing the unreasonable demands and the ultimatum itself. The adjudication took about 5 weeks, but I was approved and received backpay for the entire period. Don't let your employer's manipulative tactics prevent you from claiming benefits you're entitled to - what they did to you is exactly why these protections exist.

Update us on how it goes! I'm sure other people will end up in similar situations and your experience might help them.

I went through this exact situation with Adecco last year. You're absolutely right to file for unemployment - the temp agency is your employer, and "no available assignments" is a legitimate layoff reason. One thing I'd add is to keep checking in with Staffmark periodically while you're collecting benefits. They might get new assignments, and Washington ESD expects you to maintain contact with your former employer. Also, when you file your weekly claims, make sure to report any days you might work if Staffmark does call you back with short-term assignments. You can still collect partial benefits on weeks when you work reduced hours.

Just to clarify the terminology - Washington ESD uses 'good cause' for voluntary quits and 'misconduct' for involuntary terminations. Your situation falls under good cause since you voluntarily quit due to substantial changes in working conditions.

I went through something very similar with Washington ESD last year. The term you're looking for is "good cause" - that's the legal standard they use to determine if you had a valid reason to quit and still qualify for benefits. A reduction from $18 to $12 per hour (33% cut) combined with cutting your hours from 40 to 15 per week is absolutely textbook good cause. Your total weekly pay dropped from $720 to $180 - that's a 75% reduction! No reasonable person could be expected to continue working under those conditions. The adjudicator clearly made an error. File your appeal immediately and gather all documentation showing the wage and hour changes. This should be an easy win on appeal.

Just remembered - if you do end up calling ESD and they tell you that you might qualify, make sure to get the agent's name and reference number for your call. That documentation could be helpful if there are any issues with your claim later.

I'm in a similar boat with my retail job cutting my hours from 35 to about 12 per week over the last month. Reading through all this advice, it sounds like partial unemployment might be the way to go while documenting everything. Has anyone here actually applied for partial benefits in Washington? I'm curious about how the process works and if it's worth the hassle.

Honestly this thread is making me feel better about my own unemployment experience. It's nice to know other people have gone through the same confusion and stress.

Just wanted to chime in as someone who went through this exact same situation last year. I was laid off from my warehouse job and made the mistake of waiting almost a month to apply because I kept thinking they might call me back. Lost out on about $1,200 in benefits that I never got back. Washington ESD is pretty strict about the timeline - you can file up to a year after your separation date, but you only get paid for the weeks you actually file claims for. So even though you have a year to start your initial claim, every week you wait is money lost forever. My advice is to file today if you haven't already, and don't look back. Even if your employer does call you back to work, you can always stop filing weekly claims at that point. But at least you'll have the safety net in place!